Ho Chi Minh City Escorts and Sex Guide

Looking for sex in Ho Chi Minh City?

Formerly known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of 8.5 million people. It is a vibrant and colourful city that was once the heart of the French colonisation of Vietnam. With both European and Asian influences evident in its food, culture and architecture, Ho Chi Minh City is a perfect blend of East meeting West. This modern city is packed with lively entertainment venues include some of a more adult nature.

In this guide, we take a look at the sex scene of Ho Chi Minh City including the hostess and KTV bars, barber shop brothels and erotic massage parlours. We also look at the laws on prostitution as well as the escorting scene.

Prostitution in Ho Chi Minh City

In Vietnam, prostitution is illegal with the law being explicit about what is prohibited. Buying and selling sex are both forbidden as are all activities relating to prostitution, including owning a service related business for sex-work, pimping and running a brothel.

Despite the very clear laws, prostitution in Vietnam, especially in cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, is very common. This is due, in part, to the fact that policing of prostitution can be quite casual. Most infringements of the law result in administrative fines being handed out rather than any criminal proceedings. Deemed administrative violations, these fines are typically around 50,000 VND ($2.20).

Official figures suggest that there are just 20,000 prostitutes working in the country though independent studies estimate the true figure to be ten to twenty times this amount. Conservative estimates suggest that Ho Chi Minh City has anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 sex workers providing services to both locals and tourists.

Though Vietnam is no Thailand when it comes to sex tourism, the growing number of visitors to the country is underpinning a rising demand for prostitution in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ho Chi Minh City is bustling and vibrant Asian city with plenty of entertainment to be had, including those that offer sex. Image via Pixabay.

At present, sex workers can be found across a variety of entertainment venues in the city. Independent prostitutes find customers in bars, clubs and hotels or advertise as escorts online. Some take to the streets to find business whilst others work for massage parlours, KTVs or strip clubs.

Many of the prostitutes working in Ho Chi Minh City are Vietnamese but it is also common to find women from Laos, China and Cambodia, particularly on the streets. You can also find European escorts, especially Russian women. Fair-skinned and blonde women command premium rates locally and are in high demand.

Rates for sex in Ho Chi Minh City vary depending on the venue you are visiting and the type of prostitute you are hiring. You can get a full service from as little as $10 by picking up on the streets and a massage with happy ending from $30 to $50. Escorts are a little more pricey but a local girl should still only be charging around $20 for an hour. You can expect to pay $150 for a full night’s out-call. Bear in mind that European girls and premium escorts will charge a more standard, international rate.

Ho Chi Minh City Escorts Guide

Ho Chi Minh City is well served by a range of independent escorts, many of whom are Vietnamese or from neighbouring Asian countries. However, there is also a good range of international escorts who also provide services in the city.

We’ve chosen our favourite directories that offer the widest range of girls to suit any budget and tastes.

General Escorts in Ho Chi Minh City

Prices for an escort in Saigon can come at a rate as low as $50 but premium services can be as high as $300+ per hour.

Sex in Ho Chi Minh City

You can find sex for sale in Ho Chi Minh City quite easily if you know where to look, you just need to be aware that most venues are far more discreet than in other major Asian cities. Unlike in Bangkok, Hong Kong or Tokyo, most massage parlours and blowjob bars do not have ostentatious signs, ‘menus’ in the windows or even hustlers on the streets trying to tout for business.

After dark, Saigon’s sex scene comes alive as the city’s hookers head to the hostess bars. Image via Flickr.

Many venues are disguised as legitimate businesses but they can often be distinguished from the real deal due to the presence of security or, in the case of restaurants, the lack of diners and tables.

It’s worth remembering that some venues are Vietnamese only and if you are ‘shooed’ away, it’s best just to find another bar, club or salon. Saigon has a busy nightlife and there are always plenty of other places to go.

We’ve picked some of the best options for sex in Ho Chi Minh City including some suggestions of venues to visit.

Brothels

You won’t find brothels in Ho Chi Minh City like those you might find in other parts of Asia or in Europe. Brothels are illegal but the closest experience you will find is in the erotic massage parlours or barbershops (see below).

Salons around the city offer one thing but deliver quite another behind closed doors. Image via Flickr.

Barbershops & Beauty Salons

No, we aren’t suggesting a short back and sides as an alternative to sex. Many of these parlours are actually blowjob bars (known as ‘hot tocs’ or ‘hot tocs goi dau ‘– HTGD) though not all will offer this service.

Most of the establishments that do can be found in District 1 and District 5. They are usually indistinguishable from actual beauty salons and barbershops but we’ve listed a few that are worth checking out, below.

They are often quite small and can only service a handful of clients at a time. They tend to have small reception areas so you can pay before you go in with some having a choice of girls.

At the rear there will probably be a small room with barber chairs in which you will first receive a brief shoulder and back massage. After about five or ten minutes you are then shown to a small cubicle for privacy where your hostess will give your genital area a sponge bath (sometimes a simple wipe down and may include your nipples). After some initial manual work, she should then provide a full oral service. Many girls will perform this topless and, if they do, you are allowed to touch.

Barbershops that have a good reputation for friendly and skilled service include:

Ben Ny’s at 110 Điện Biên Phủ, 17, Bình Thạnh

Nguyễn Phi Khanh, Tân Định, District 1 (hot tocs)

Tran Hung Dao, District 5

My Tien, 90 Dien Bien Phu, Bihn Thanh District.

Q10, Su Van Hanh, District 10

267 Nguyen Thi Thap, District 7

Nguyen Phi Khanh, District 1 (Several hot tocs)

Though it isn’t common, some hot tocs do offer full service but expect to pay triple price for a quickie.

Karaoke Bars/KTVs

KTVs are a popular form of entertainment across Asia and they are big in Ho Chi Minh City. A way to spend an evening with friends and family, these clubs are basically karaoke bars but there are two distinct types; the standard pay and sing venues and those that offer female company as part of the package.

A little like a hostess bar (see below), you pay a fee to have a girl of your choice join you in your private karaoke room for the evening. You can enjoy their company for the night and they will join in with your entertainment and drinks. You can negotiate with them directly to have them come back to a hotel with you which should include full service.

Expect to pay around 500,000 VND ($22) per girl for joining you in the KTV but an overnight stay will cost around $200 to $400.

Whilst the cost is higher than picking up a hooker, the whole evening is more than just the sex and men report that they enjoy a far more realistic GFE as a result of spending time with a KTV girl. They are still a novelty for many western men but are quite common for Asian men. Ho Chi Minh City’s KTVs are often full of men from Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea.

The girls who work in KTVs are often students and are around 19-20 years old.

Love Hotels

A solution to overcrowded Asian cities, love hotels offer rooms for short time rental which make them perfect for the sex industry. They were originally intended to provide courting couples a private space to conduct their relationship as some families live in close proximity to one another, often sharing bedrooms with siblings or older relatives.

If you pick up a street prostitute or a hostess in a bar then they will normally have their own preferred choice of love hotel but you can find them across the city. They are worth using as most larger and international hotels do not allow Vietnamese girls to accompany guests to their hotel rooms.

Rental charges for a room are around $25 for an hour but you can get these much cheaper. Facilities are usually commensurate with the price you pay so if it is too cheap, it is worth having a look at the room before you pay.

Hostess Bars

Hostess bars are very popular in Asia and offer an alternative to picking up a prostitute other than for a perfunctory quickie. Bars charge slightly higher prices for drinks in order to secure the companionship services of a lady for the evening. Unlike hostess bars in Jakarta, Thailand and Korea, you don’t (usually) have to pay a bar fine in Ho Chi Minh City.

By entertaining the guests, drinks flow more freely and the bars make more money. In addition, the girls get some commission as well as earning more if the customer wants ‘extra services’. These bars are very legitimate as extra services are considered on a par with escorting and do not get the hostess bar into trouble.

Expect to pay around 30,000 VND ($1.30) for your drinks and 50,000 VND ($2.20) for your hostess’s drinks. Whilst you enjoy the company of your choice of lady, you will negotiate a price for service before heading to a local love hotel. Expect to pay around $50 to $80 for a full service plus the room rental charge of $25 to $30. This is in addition to your bar bill.

Some hostess bars have rough and ready facilities to provide an on-site service.

They are common around both District 1 and District 3 as well as in Hai Ba Trung. Some popular hostess bars include Saigon NY (corner of Hai Ba Trung and Dong Du), 29 Dong Khoi, Crazy Buffalo, De Tham 212, District, Thien Loc (corner of Mac Thi Buoi and Hai Ba Truong) and in Little Tokyo on Ngo Van Nam Street.

There are some high-end hostess bars in Saigon that do not have rooms on site but do have some very attractive girls working. The prices are more expensive here but you will have a good time choosing your companion in a lively environment with a great atmosphere.

Apocalypse Now

The most notorious hostess bar for western tourists to visit is Apocalypse Now.

Popular with backpackers, Apocalypse Now attracts plenty of professional hookers. Image via website.

Located a short ride away from the Buy Vien area, Apocalypse Now is a lively bar that is popular for its loud music, good atmosphere and great drinks. It is also a hot spot for freelance prostitutes after midnight. Before this time, most patrons are in for the good time but after 12, the place starts to swell with working girls.

It could be hard to distinguish but if you are alone or with some other single guys then the chances are the girls will come to you and ask to be bought a drink.

The rest is up to you to negotiate but be prepared for girls to ask for as much as 3 million VND for an hour. Most will try to get the best price they can but you shouldn’t be paying any more than 1.5 million VND ($66)

Swinging Clubs

Swinging isn’t popular with the Vietnamese but it does happen in the expat circles. There are no clubs as such with most swingers making contact through sites like Adult Friend Finder, Alt.com or Fetlife.

Erotic Massage Parlours

There are a lot of erotic massage parlours in Saigon where you can get a handjob, few will offer oral or full service but you can find a couple in District 10 where your masseuse could be persuaded, at the right price.

You should always pay your masseuse for your hand job as a tip after the massage. Sometimes the cost of this will be written down on a piece of paper before she starts whilst other masseuses will simply deliver the goods and expect a tip at the end.

Tipping should at least be the same as the price of the room but, unless she has written a specific price, it is at your discretion. Most guys will over tip whilst others prefer to keep rates competitive.

Most of the larger salons are situated in hotels and may offer additional spa facilities or other services (four hands, soapy massage etc).

You can find the cheapest rub and tug services in the Bui Vien area where you can get an hours’ massage for around 200,000 VND ($9). This covers the basic service and a standard room but in some salons you can pay extra for a VIP suite which may include additional facilities such as a jacuzzi or sauna. You can identify some massage parlours by their menu boards as well as bright signage.

You can also find some good parlours in District 3, 5 and 10 but they are not as foreigner friendly and may charge more. If you are feeling flush then Little Tokyo is a pricey area to get a happy ending massage in Ho Chi Minh City. Ngô Văn Năm and Le Thanh Ton tend to attract wealthy Korean and Japanese businessmen so the price can be up to five times higher than other parts of the city.

Nhu Quynh, Dinh Boi Linh

Hoang Ty, Duoy Binh Tri Dong

Dai Nam Hotel, 79 Trần Hưng Đạo, Cầu Ông Lãnh, District 1

Vien Dong Hotel, St. Dist. 1, 275A Phạm Ngũ Lão,

Boss Palace Massage 308 Nguyễn Thiện Thuật, District 3

Dan Nguyen, Hoang Van Thlu Q. Phi Nhan

Tuan Thanh Massage, 75 Nguyen Huy Khanh

Hoang Coi Massage, 111 Dinh Bo Linh

Dang Hoa, Duoy Binh Tri Dong

Thanh Dat 2, 106 Dinh Bo Linh

Lido Massage, 265 Phan Ngu Lao St., District 1

Zest Spa, 60 Bui Thi Xuan

Bao Lan, Dinh Bao Linh

Strip Clubs

Strip clubs are not a feature of Vietnamese night life and you won’t find any topless go-go bars like you can in places like Thailand. The country is more reserved and conservative in this respect and culturally the only demand for these kind of venues is from tourists.

It is rumoured that there are some illegal strip clubs on Bui Vien Street.

Street Prostitutes & Red-Light Districts

Ho Chi Minh City doesn’t have a red-light area in the same sense as those you might find in Europe or even Thailand. However, there are some hot spots for finding street prostitutes in the city.

The principle area for getting a pick up is around Hoa Binh Park. Situated where districts 5 and 10 join at Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, the park attracts girls who solicit from the back of mopeds or on bicycles. To avoid police harassment, the women don’t tend to congregate so men looking for a hooker have to do the loitering. You won’t have to wait for long and most men will be approached directly with women simply asking if you want sex or a ‘good time’.

Mopeds are a common sight around Saigon and are a popular way for hookers to cover more ground. Image via Flickr.

You should be able to negotiate a quickie for around $20 to $30. You will also need to factor in the cost of a love hotel. If you are renting a room for a few hours then you might want to consider paying a girl for more than just ‘short time love’ which is really only a one-shot session. Bear in mind that many international (and larger) hotels do not allow their guests to bring ladies back to their room.

Other areas in Ho Chi Minh City where you can find street hookers include:

An Suong T Road, District 12

Kinh Duong Vuong, District 6

Bui Ven, District 1

Hong Bang, District 5

Cong Hoa, Tan Binh District

Phạm Ngũ Lão, District 1

Linh Xuan Bypass, Thu Duc District

Le Tuan Mau, District 6

23-9 Park, District 1

Sex Shops

There aren’t a huge number of sex shops in Ho Chi Minh City and this reflects the more conservative nature of the Vietnamese when it comes to the issue of sex and their public face. Far from being prudish, most people in modern Saigon prefer to buy their bedroom basics online where they can be assured of a private and discreet shopping experience.

There are a couple of adult stores in Saigon and all have a very standard offering.